Lean on Me
by Mandalicious
Summary: Starts after the movie ends. Donna has always had a hard family life, but when her dad (whom she despises) sends her mother a letter requesting full custody of Donna. It is going to be a battle of emotions and Donna is going to need her friends more than ever
1. Everything Falls Apart

Chapter 1: Everything Falls Apart

I watched as Charlie walked away from me and I sighed. I knew how hard long distance relationships were, but I didn't want to not date Charlie just because we lived in different states. I couldn't, not after I kissed him. That Christmas Eve, it was magical. One of the best ones I've ever had. And I'm not one to be all mushy and like "Oh, I'm so in love." Instead of being stuck in a stupid plane with a bunch of annoying passengers, I got to spend it with my new friends(and new boyfriend). I know that I'm a little young to have a boyfriend (I was the youngest out of all of us), but I really liked him so much, and I feel like he was like, my savior.. I knew why Spencer said that we made a good family. It's because we all come from broken homes, and between the four of us, we found a common fact. Divorce and abandonment. My parents divorced when I was a little kid and I barely ever see my father, except for Christmas. That's where I was headed before we all got snowed in. I hate going to my dads house. He's got a new wife and new children now and I'm a stranger in that house when I visit. I'd much rather stay with my mom, even though she hates Christmas. She and dad had a big fight that led to their divorce on Christmas. I hate my dad. I don't think he even knows that I haven't gotten there yet. He hasn't called my cell phone, not that I ever expected him to. He doesn't even call on my birthday. God forbid that he calls his daughter for two minutes on the day that she was born. That's why I prefer my mom so much more over my dad. She at least cares about me, even though she cares too much sometimes. Heck, her last boyfriend acted more like a dad to me than my actual dad does.

Anyways, when I met Grace, Spencer, and Charlie, I felt like I had found some people who actually understood who I am, and even though I can be a little mean sometimes they accepted me for me. I've only known them for not even 24 hours, yet I feel closer to them than I do to some of my 'friends' from school. Especially Charlie. I can't believe that I would fall for someone like him, but I did. I think I started to fall for him after the whole luggage room thing when we were in the warehouse. When we were in that air vent and I was starting to feel claustrophobic, he was so sweet. By then, I had gone all girl on him and developed a full-on crush. I truly care about him so much and I feel so sad that I won't be able to see him for a while.

A flight attendant came up to me and told me where the terminal for my flight was. I grabbed my luggage and went over to the terminal. While I sat and waited for my plane to take off, I started thinking about Charlie again.

"Donna?" A voice asked suddenly snapping me out of my reverie. I looked up and there he was. Charlie. My Charlie.

"Charlie! What are you doing here?"

"This is my terminal."

"No way! Mine too!"

"Are you serious? I'm getting off when we stop in Denver, but we get to hang out more."

I hugged him, something I had not willingly done to anyone in a long while.

He dropped his bags and we sat next to each other.

"Where's your dad live?" He asked.

"New Jersey. Except for I don't want to go."

"Why not?"

I pulled my knees up to my chest. "He's not really a father to me. He has a wife and new kids and I don't really belong in that family. He probably doesn't even know that I'm not there even though I was supposed to get in at midnight. "

"I'm sorry, Donna. I didn't know."

I smiled weakly. "Nobody does. I hate to talk about my family issues. What about you, goofball? What's your family like?"

"Well, I live with my dad and I visit my mom every other week on the weekends. I'm closer to my mom than my dad even though I live with him. I love both of them though."

"I wish I could say that about my dad."

"Don't you love him?"

I shook my head. "How can I?! He's never even acted the slightest bit interested in me, his ONLY biological daughter. He never gets me birthday or Christmas gifts and he hates it when I'm around." A tear ran down my cheek.

Charlie looked surprised. "Donna? You're crying. "

I nodded. There was no point trying to hide it. "I know. He makes me so mad sometimes. My dad."

"Can I hug you?"

I nodded again. I trusted Charlie. He was the only boy I've ever met who hasn't treated me like a weirdo. He hugged me.

"He doesn't deserve to be the father of an amazing girl like you."

"I'm not amazing. I'm average."

"No you're not. You may not think you're amazing but honestly I would never like a girl who punched me except for you,"

I smiled. "Sorry about that again."

"Don't worry about it."

We began boarding our plane and we made sure to get seats next to each other.

I slept on the plane, even though I wanted to stay awake. I had been up for over 24 hours and I was falling asleep already. Charlie was so sweet, he let me sleep on his shoulder. I felt so bad because we got more time together, yet I was sleeping. I woke up about 45 minutes before we landed.

"Oh god, Charlie, I'm so sorry!" I said when I woke up.

"Don't worry, Donna. You're kinda cute when you're sleeping."

I smiled. "Thanks, I guess. I was just so tired. I didn't sleep at all last night and I didn't get any sleep this morning."

"I know how you feel. I slept for like 20 minutes before I met up with you again."

"I'm sorry, Charlie. I shouldn't have fallen asleep. I don't know when I'll see you again."

"Donna, don't worry about it. I got to sleep a little bit, too."

We chatted on the plane for the rest of the flight. I told him more about my mom and my family and he did the same. I felt like I could really open up to him. We got off of the plane and my heart dropped. This was it. Our final goodbye for who knows how long.

"It was good to spend more time with you, Donna. I'm glad that I met you." Charlie said.

I smiled. "Same for you. Don't forget to call me, goofball."

"I won't."

I leaned forward and planted a kiss on his lips. "I'll see you sometime."

"Definitely."

He turned away and I did the same. Now I had to go and face my dad and his family. My cell phone buzzed and I looked down. It was my mother calling.

"Hello?"

"Merry Christmas, sweetie!" My mom said enthusiastically. "How's it going at your dads house?"

"Hi, mom. I'm not at dads yet, my flight got cancelled last night. I spent the night in the airport."

"Oh, sweetie, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, mom. I actually had a pretty good Christmas Eve."

"Well that's good. Listen I gotta go, but call me when you do get to dads, okay?"

"Sure, mom. Bye."

"Bye."

I slapped my phone shut. I can't believe my mom didn't know my flight got cancelled. I didn't know whether to be mad at her for not paying attetnion or the airport for not contacting her. I was already sort of mad at her for making me go to dad's year after year after year. I got on my next plane and slept for the whole ride, dreaming about Charlie.

* * *

I arrived in New Jersey around three o'clock. I stepped off of the plane and I felt so depressed. I love Christmas, but I hate spending it with people who don't even acknowledge my existence. I dialed my father's number because no one was at the airport to pick me up.

"Hello?"  
"Dad? It's me. I'm at the airport,"

"Okay, I'll be there in 15 minutes,"

I sat in the waiting area until I saw my dad's car pull up in front in the airport. I went outside and got into the front seat of my dad's car.

"It's good to see you, Donna," My dad said, leaning over to hug me. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, Dad. It's good to see you, too." I rolled my eyes, wanting to be anywhere but in that car.

We went back to my Dad's house and I was greeted by my step-mother and step-siblings.

"Donna, it's so good to see you!" My step-mother, Karen, said.

I nodded. "You too, Karen. How's everything been here?" I asked just for the sake of being semi nice.

"It's been good, We missed you. You should visit more often,"

"Maybe. I don't know, I've been so busy lately," If I have time to visit anyone, I will definitely choose my new friends over my step-family.

"Well, we've been waiting for you to arrive so we can open presents," My dad said and we all gathered around the Christmas tree.

* * *

Later that night, I was in the guest room, resting. It was around midnight and everyone else had gone to bed. As usual, I hadn't gotten a present from my father, but my step-mom made up for him. It's crazy to think that maybe she cares more about me than my own father does. I was still really exhausted and I hadn't gotten more than 4 hours of sleep in the past 48 hours, so I thought I'd be asleep really quick, but I couldn't fall asleep. I went downstairs to watch tv to see if that would help me sleep. I turned it on to a marathon on Friends.

Th next morning I was woken up by my stepsister Kelly. I looked at the clock and realized it was only six am.

"Ugh. Why'd you wake me up so early?"

"I thought you'd want to go to the guest room,"

"Oh. Thanks."

I got up and went back to the guest room to go back to sleep. I woke up again around noon, which was late even for me. The house was empty and I assumed everyone forgot I was there again. I decided to call Charlie.

"Donna!" He said when he picked up.

"I miss you so much, Charlie. It's awful here. I hate this. I want to go home,"

"Donna, I hate hearing you so sad. Please try to make the best of this. Maybe you should talk to your dad and tell him how you feel."

"Like he'll listen."

"Have you even tried?"

"No. But he won't care."

"Try. For me. Please?"

"Fine." I sighed. "But, if it doesn't work, I'm calling my mom and telling her I'm coming home."

"Okay. Go talk to you dad, and call me later."

"Okay. Bye,"

I hung up. I wouldn't have even considered talking to my dad, because it was pretty obvious what he thought of me, but for Charlie I would. I went downstairs and found my dad in his home office.

"Dad? Can I talk to you?"

Dad looked up from his computer. "Sure. What's up?"

"Dad." I sighed. "Dad, what do you hate about me?"

Dad looked surprised. "What do you mean, sweetie?"

"Why don't you like it when I'm around? Why don't you call me on my birthday? Why don't you give me presents on Christmas? Why didn't you know I was snowed in at the airport, or at least call to check on me?! I'm your only biological daughter, and I feel like I'm not even related to you. You've never been like a dad to me. Why?"

My dad looked astonished at my words. "Donna. You never let me. You're so tough. I try to relate to you but you won't let me talk to you. You pulled away from me when Mom and I divorced. I didn't think you wanted me around."

Tears started to stream down my face. "Why did you think that, Dad? I was a little kid when you guys divorced! I didn't know any better. You're the father. You're supposed to be the one to keep in touch. Not me."

"I'm sorry, honey. I'll try to be more attentive. Do you think you can forgive me?"

"Are you kidding me? You think one sorry is going to make me forget all those years without a father? Forget it. I'm calling mom and I'm going home. Screw you."

"Donna, please don't go."

"No. I don't want to ever see you again so don't even try."

I went upstairs, trying to hold in the tears that were threatening to spill over. I dialed my mom, my fingers trembling.

"Mom?"

"Donna? Are you okay?"

"No. I want to go home. Now."

"Okay, I'll see what I can do. Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"No. I just want to go home."

"Okay. I'll look for the next flight out of there. I love you, Donna. I'll call you when I find a flight."

"Love you too." I hung up and collapsed onto the bed in a fit of tears.

My phone rang and I looked at the caller ID. It was my mom.

"Hello?"

"The next flight out is in 5 hours. Do you want me to buy the ticket?"

"Yes. I'll call a cab."

"No you won't. I know you don't want to spend time with dad, but you will not go in a cab alone. Get Karen to drive you. Okay?"

"Fine."

I started to pack. I hated my dad so much and I was so glad I was able to go home. I realized that Charlie didn't know what had happened. I called him, hoping that he'd pick up.

"Hey, Donna. How'd it go?"

"It was a disaster, Charlie. I'm going home."

"Oh, Donna. I'm so sorry. It's all my fault."

"No. At least I got it out of the way. I don't have to deal with him anymore, so thanks. I wish I could come and see you."

"Me too. But go home and relax. I'll see you sometime soon."

"Okay. Bye."

I went downstairs and found Karen in the kitchen.

"Hi Donna. I heard about your fight with your dad."

"Yeah. Can you drive me to the airport?"

"Sure. I'm sorry about your fight."

"Thanks."

I got my bags from upstairs and I went to the car. Karen drove me to the airport. I said my goodbyes and went inside to go on another plane. Yay.

I arrived home around eight and it was so good to be back home. I was so emotionally and physically drained that I just went to sleep without even thinking about calling Charlie to tell him I got home safely. It was really nice to be back somewhere I belonged.


	2. Sparks Fly

Chapter 2: Sparks Fly  
Things were pretty peaceful and back to normal for a little while. Charlie and I talked on the phone daily, right after I got home from school. School was normal. I had one close friend and she was jealous of my relationship with Charlie. Grace and Spencer called me sometimes, but they didn't understand we're not all in the same time zone so I normally missed their calls. I was glad that we all kept in touch. I missed them so much.  
Mom took me to the movies on Friday after school. We always went to see movies on Friday, whether we saw it already or not. I loved my traditions with my mom. She's such a great alternative for my absent dad. We got home around eight. Mom took in the mail and she came in looking at a letter intently.  
"What is it?"  
"A letter from your dad."  
It took all that I had not to run away because anything from dad was not good news.  
"What's it say?" I asked, trembling.  
Mom opened the letter and her eyes widened as she read it. "This is in regards to the custody of Donna Malone. Mr. Malone wants full custody of his daughter."  
My heart dropped. "What?"  
"Donna, I want you to go to your room. I need to call your dad and I don't want you to be here."  
I nodded and ran to my room. My fingers trembling, I dialed Charlie's number. No answer. I called Grace and she picked up.  
"Grace?"  
"Hey, Donna. I was just about to go out with friends. What's up?"  
"I hate my dad so much, Grace. Why did I have to have him as a dad?"  
"Why? What happened?"  
"So my mom and I went to see a movie. We came home and my mom went to to the mail and what do you know? My dad sent a letter to my mom, saying he wants custody of me."  
"Oh god, Donna. I'm sorry. I wish I could be there."  
"He knows I hate him. What is he trying to accomplish?"  
"I don't know. Do you want to talk about it?"  
"Not really. I mean it just kind of sucks. I hate him. I don't want to live with him. My life will fall apart if this goes through."  
"You know, we should all get together soon. I miss all of you guys a lot. I haven't talked to Spencer in a week."  
"I think that's a great idea. When is your spring break? Maybe we can do something over Spring Break."  
"I don't know. I'll have to check. Well, Donna, I gotta go. Feel better. I'm sorry."  
"Thanks. Bye."  
I heard my Mom yelling from the kitchen and I started to feel depressed. My dad was trying to rip apart my life, but I ccouldn't deal with it. Why was he doing this to me? He knows how I feel about him. This isn't going to change anything. My mom came into my room a little bit later, and sat on my bed.  
'What's happening?" I asked.  
'Well, your dad wants custody of you. You know that much, and he's fairly certain he'll get it since he has 2 parental figures for you and I'm a single mother. I promise you, Donna, that I will do everything I can to make sure you stay here."  
"Why does he want me?"  
Mom shook her head. "I don't know,"  
I flopped onto my bed and fell asleeep, because it was all I could do to escape the hell that was my life.

* * *

I woke up to 10 missed calls the next morning, seven from Charlie and three from Spencer. I'd assumed Grace told them what had happened, but I was in no mood to talk to anyone. How dare my dad waltz in and try to mess with my life. I sat in my room all day and did nothing, because that was how exciting my life was. Mom came into my room around seven with the phone in her hand.  
"Sweetie? It's that Charlie boy. He's worried about you."  
I took the phone. "Hello?"  
"Donna! Are you okay? Why didn't you call me back?"  
"I'm sorry, Charlie. I'm just...not in a good place right now. I was just taking a day to process everything."  
"Is there anything I can do?"  
"No. Unless you guys can get me out of here. That'd be great."  
"I'll see what we can do."

* * *

Charlie hung up his phone and sighed. He knew that Donna was in a really bad place and that she needed her friends more than ever right now. He called Spencer.  
"Hey, Charlie. How's Donna?"  
"She's really depressed, Spencer. It's like she's not even herself anymore."  
"I feel so bad for her.I know my parents had some sort of custody battle between Katy and I but they got it figured out without much fighting. It's gotta be like World War Three for Donna."  
"I know what you mean. She was saying she wanted us to visit her or get her out of her town."  
"We should, Charlie. We're family, right? She needs her family right now."  
"I guess so. But we have school."  
"My mom'll understand. Will your dad?"  
"Maybe. I hope so. That way we can see eachother and be there for Donna,"  
"Well, go ask you dad, and I'll call Grace."  
"Okay."

* * *

Things were smoothed out between Grace, Spencer, and Charlie and they all had flights booked to Donna's home town. They met up at a connecting flight at Hoover international and boarded their next flight together.  
"It's so good to see you guys!" Spencer said when he saw Grace and Charlie.  
Grace nodded and hugged her boyfriend. "How's have you guys been?"  
"I've been good. You know, the usual," Spencer said.  
"Me too. I've missed Donna though. And you guys, of course," Charlie said. "She doesn't know we're coming, right?"  
Spencer shook his head. "Her mom knows and she booked us a hotel so we can get away for a little while."  
They boarded their plane and began to catch up some more.

* * *

The group arrived at Donna's house around four P.M  
Charlie went up to the door and rang the doorbell. Donna answered the door and when she saw the gang at the door her jaw dropped.  
"Charlie!" She said as she grabbed him tight. They held in their embrace for five minutes, with Charlie stroking her hair and whispering in her ear.  
"They're so cute together," Grace whispered to Spencer who nodded in agreement.  
The two finally pulled away and Donna hugged Grace and Spencer.  
"Thanks for coming guys."  
"No problem." Spencer said. "Family is family, right?"  
Grace smiled at her boyfriend. "How are you doing?" She asked Donna, who, in return, sighed.  
"Custody battles are awful, guys. I don't even understand why my dad did this in the first place. He's not going to make me like him no matter what he does. This is making me hate him even more."  
"Maybe he thinks that if he spends time with you you'll warm up to him," Charlie said wisely.  
"Well I won't. He hasn't been a father to me since I was five. If he wanted me to like him, he should've made an effort already. I'm almost twelve now. It's too late to try and make amends."  
Grace sighed. "I'm sorry, Donna."  
"Im just glad you guys are here now. I can forget about all this crap for a little while."  
"Me too." Grace said. "I've missed you guys. Its been awful without you guys around."  
The rest of the group nodded and went into Donna's kitchen where they met her mother. "Its so nice to meet you guys. Donna's told me so much about you guys. I'm so glad you're here."  
She hugged all of them and looked at Charlie.  
"Charlie, I'm so glad that you and Donna met. She talks about you so much and I think that you two make a really cute couple."  
Charlie blushed. "Thanks."  
"So what are we doing? How long are you guys in town for?" Donna asked.  
"We're here for the week." Spencer said. "And your mom booked us a hotel just out of town, so it can be like a mini vacation for us."  
"That's awesome! I really need to get out of here."  
Donna went off with Charlie to pack her bags, leaving Spencer, Grace, and Donna's mom alone. She sighed and looked at the two of them. "I really want to thank you guys for being her for Donna. She's been so depressed since I got the letter from her Dad. I've been trying to act like everything's normal, but I'm not sure if I can prevent her dad from gaining custody of her and she knows that. I've never seen her warm up to people fast so I really want to thank you."  
"No problem. We've been like family since that night in the airport so it's not that big a deal." Grace said.  
Charlie and Donna returned with a bag in each of their hands.  
"I'm ready to go. Let's leave." Donna said bluntly, not wanting to waste any vacation time. The group piled into Donna's mom's van and went off to the hotel where they would be staying. They had three rooms booked.  
"So it's going to be me and Charlie in one room, Grace and Spencer in another, and my mom in the last one." Donna said, handing her friends their room keys.

* * *

Donna POV:  
I was so glad that all my friends came all the way out here for me. I was so happy to see Charlie when he came to my door and I felt so lucky to have friends who were missing school just to be here for me. Charlie and I went into our room and began to unpack. There were two twin sized beds so I took one and he the other.  
"I'm so happy to see you." Charlie said as he helped me unpack. I kissed him on the cheek.  
"How did I get so lucky to have a boyfriend like you?"  
He blushed. "I don't know. Are you feeling better?"  
I nodded. "For right now, at least. How can I not? You guys are here!"  
He helped me finish unpacking and we went to go see Grace and Spencer. They were unpacking too. Once they finished, we went to a pizzeria that was in town. While we were at dinner, Mom got a call on her cell and she was gone for the last half of dinner.  
"Is it your dad?" Spencer asked when my mom left the restaurant.  
"Probably. They're figuring out a court date. My moms been so stressed, I hate my dad for doing this to us." I said and Charlie squeezed my shoulder.  
"Let's not talk about this. We took you on this vacation so you could forget about all of this." Charlie said.  
Grace and Spencer nodded.  
"Okay, then. What do you guys want to do this week? I've never been here but I bet there's cool things around."  
"Well, we'll have to see what's around. I'm just glad we're all together. Too bad we're not flying anywhere." Spencer said.  
"Yeah. It was fun driving that golf cart around," I said.  
"Where did you learn to drive that thing?" Grace asked, laughing.  
"I don't think I ever learned, I just got on and drove. I said.  
Everyone laughed and it was the first time I laughed in what seemed like forever. My mom came back a few minutes later and got her purse abruptly.  
"I have to go, but you guys can stay. I need to sort some things out."  
"Is everything okay?" I asked.  
"I'm not sure. I'll tell you later."  
My mom left and everyone turned to me.  
"Do you want to stay?" Charlie asked me.  
I nodded. "If something bad happened, I want to avoid it as long as possible."  
We stayed at the restaurant and talked some more. We went back to the hotel around ten and hung out in Grace and Spencer's room watching movies. It was a really great night. Charlie and I headed back to our room at midnight and began to get ready for bed. I hadn't talked to my mother since she left the restaurant and I was a little bit nervous about what was happening. Charlie and I finally got into bed around one-thirty.  
"Goodnight, Donna." Charlie said from his bed.  
"Goodnight."

* * *

I woke up the next morning at eleven AM. Charlie wasn't in his bed, but I assumed he was with the others. I went to Grace and Spencer's room and found all my friends awake.  
"Hey, guys. How long have you been awake?"  
"Since, like, eight." Grace said.  
"Oh, uh, sorry." I said.  
"Hey, did you figure out what made your mom leave so soon last night?" Spencer asked.  
I shook my head. "I'm afraid to."  
"You should go find out. You have us here." Charlie said.  
I nodded. "I guess so."  
I went across the hall to my moms hotel room.  
"Mom?"  
"Oh, Donna. Good, you're here. I need to talk to you."  
"Whatsup?"  
"Honey, your dad set a court date."  
"Okay, when?"  
"Monday."  
"What?! Today's only Tuesday! That's 6 days!"  
Mom nodded. "I know. We'll figure it out."  
I went back to my friends.  
"What happened?" Grace asked,  
"My parents' court date is Monday."  
Charlie looked at me. "Are you serious?"  
I nodded. "This is so unfair. I hate this so much."  
Charlie hugged me and I leaned into him.  
"Do you guys think you can stay until Monday?"  
"I don't think so, Donna. We have to get back to school." Spencer said "Sorry."  
Grace nodded. "It was hard enough convincing my school to let me leave for the week."  
"What about you?" I said looking up at Charlie.  
"I'll ask my dad, but I doubt it. Sorry."  
I squeezed Charlie tighter. "Well, can we just enjoy the time we have together?" I asked.  
Everyone nodded. "We should go into town and find something to do." Spencer said.  
We all got ready for the day, and once we were done, we went into town. We found an arcade and went inside.

* * *

We spent about 2 hours at the arcade and I won at all the arcade games. It was so good to hang out with my friends. We went back to the hotel near seven after going to dinner at a burger place. We all hung out in mine and Charlie's room.  
"I'm really glad that all you guys came out here for me. Nobody's ever been so nice or caring for me. You guys are all like my family to me." I said.  
"Donna, it's no big deal. You're going through a hard time and we're all here for you." Grace said smiling at me.  
I smiled. I felt like I had the best friends in the whole entire world. We all had a good time that night, and it was just like the night in the airport.

* * *

Our vacation was over way too soon. Right as I was feeling that nothing was wrong anymore, everyone had to leave and it was Sunday. I had only 24 hours before my mom went to court with my dad and I was nervous. We drove back to my house around noon and got back by one. Grace's flight home was at four, so we drove her to the airport.  
"Bye, Donna. It was good seeing you. Call me when you find out anything." She said, giving me a hug.  
"Bye, rich kid. Thanks for coming to visit. It really means a lot to me."  
Grace turned and said her goodbyes to Spencer and Charlie. She left and we waited at the airport until it was time for Spencer to be dropped off.  
"Bye, Donna. I had a really good time this week. I hope everything goes well tomorrow."  
"Thanks. I had a good time, too. Thanks for visiting."  
"Anytime." He said goodbye to Charlie and went off.  
My mom went to get a coffee and Charlie and I were left alone. He turned to me and handed me a box.  
"What's this?" I asked as I lifted a necklace out of the box  
"It's a present. It says hope on it. Grace helped me pick it out. It's to give you hope. I hope you like it."  
I grabbed Charlie and hugged him. "I love it. Thank you."  
I kissed him.  
"Donna, no matter what happens tomorrow, I will always be here for you. I promise,"  
I felt so lucky to have met Charlie. "I know."  
Soon, it was time for him to leave and I felt really saddened by that.  
"Bye, Donna. I'm really going to miss you. I'm so glad I was able to see you."  
"Me too. I'll miss you alot but I'll see you soon. At least I hope so."  
Charlie smiled. I kissed him once more and then mom and I left. I clutched my necklace in my hand, trying to muster up the courage to face tomorrow


	3. The Beginning of the End

Chapter 3: The Beginning of the End

I couldn't sleep at all on Sunday night. I was so nervous about what was going to happen the next day and I wished that all my friends were still here. I finally got to sleep at six AM, and my alarm went off at eight. My mom and I got ready and we were off by nine-thirty. I was so nervous that I was practically shaking.

"Honey, everything's going to be fine. I will make sure you stay here."

"You don't know you can do that." I said, speaking the truth.

"I'll do everything I can, honey. We have a good case against him."

"He's married, you're single. It's going to be hard."

"I know. But there are many single mothers who've won custody battles."

I sighed and looked out the window. It was going to be a long day,

Grace sighed as she sat in her second period history class. For the first time, she'd snuck her phone into school. She was worried about Donna and what was going to happen to her and her mother. She'd kept her phone in her pocket on vibrate, so she could be there for Donna if need be. She was anxious to hear any news from her . He phone buzzed and she waited until her teacher turned around to look at it, hoping it was Donna, and that everything was over. It was a text from Spencer.

_Spencer: Any news from donna?_

_Grace: No. But no news is good news, right?_

_Spencer: Let's hope._

_Grace: Well, i gotta go right now. My teacher is going to kill me if he catches me on my phone. _

Grace slipped her phone back into her pocket and watched her teacher speak, but was anxious to hear from her friend.

Charlie was worried about Donna so much. He couldn't pay attention to his teachers or his friends, because the only thing that he was thinking about was his girlfriend. He knew that if her das got custody of her, it would just shatter her to pieces. Only his closest friend knew about Donna and how special she was to him. He'd copnfided his worries about her to him He did worry about her a lot, even though she was very independent. He wanted to know what made her that way, but she wouldn't tell him much. His phone buzzed at lunch and saw it was Grace calling. It was around three PM Grace's time and he was worried about what she was calling for.

"Hello?"

"Charlie? Are you busy?"

"I'm at lunch, not really. Why?"

"DId you hear from Donna?"

"No why?"

"She just called me. Oh, Charlie, she's a wreck."

Charlie's heart pounded. "Why?"

"Her dad won, Charlie. He's her guardian now."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. She was in tears when she called. She has 48 hours to pack up her things. I'm surprised she hasn't called you."

"Yeah, me too. I'm going to go call her right now,"

"Okay."

Grace and Charlie hung up and he called Donna.

"Charlie?" Donna said through her tears.

"Donna, it's me. Are you okay?"

"No. I don't want to live with my dad. My whole life is here. I hate him for doing this to me."

"Isn't there anything else you can do?"

"No! Don't you think I would've done it already?"  
His best friend was watching him with a concerned look and Charlie was sure he looked panicked.

"Donna, listen, I have to go, but I promise you, we will figure this all out. I promise."

"Okay."

"Bye."

"Bye,:

His best friend came up to him.

"Are you okay?"

Charlie shook his head. "My girlfriend's life just fell apart."

Donna POV:

I collapsed onto my bed as soon as we got home. I didn't know what to do anymore. I was not going to let my dad win this. No way in hell. Charlie said we'd figure it out, and I trusted him. I felt so trustworthy in him, that no matter what he said, I believed it. If he told me that we would figure this out, we would. My Mom came into my room.

"Donna, you should be packing."

"I'm not going to his house. What's the point?"

"Donna, we did what we could do, but it's over now. Your dad is coming in less than 48 hours, you need to pack your stuff."

"I'm not going anywhere with him. Nowhere."

"Donna."

My phone rang, cutting off my mom. I picked it up and smiled when I heard Charlie's voice.

"Donna, how are you?"

"I'm trying not to freak out, honestly. I can't do this, Charlie. I just realized something awful. What if he never lets me see you guys?"

"Donna, Donna, listen to me. That is not going to happen. He is one person. You have your mom, and you have us. We will fix this. Grace's dad is a lawyer, and she's telling him about the situation. There has to be something we can do."

"I'm going to clutch that 'hope' neckalce extra hard these next 48 hours. Charlie, I cannot live with him. I cannot."

"You won't, Donna. Don't underestimate the power of the Unaccompanied Minors."

I smiled. "You promise?"

"I promise. I love you, Donna.'

It was shocking to hear those words directed towards me, and I was surprised to find out that I felt the same way. But then I realized I had felt that way about him for a long time.

"Donna? Donna, I'm sorry." Charlie said when I hadn't responded.

"No, no, Charlie. I just had to process that. I love you, too. I'm so glad that we met."

"Really?"

"Really. Charlie, you are the best thing to ever happen to me. I can't imagine life without you anymore."

'Me neither, Donna. I hate to know that you're so sad and I will do anything I can to help you."

"Thanks. I gotta go, but I'll call you later."

I hung up and my mom looked at me. "Honey, you need to pack."  
"I am not packing. Not until I am 100% positve I'm living with dad."

"You are, Donna. There isn't anything you can do."

"Grace's dad is a lawyer. She's trying to see if he can help."

"Okay, if you think that'll work. But, pack just in case. You need to be ready."

I nodded solemnly. "Okay."  
I started to pack and Grace called me.

"Tell me you have good news."

"Sort of. My dad thinks he can find a way to keep you at home, but he needs to see your dad's papers."

"My dad's in New Jersey already. He's coming back in two days."

Grace sighed. :Okay. Then we either have to come to New Jersey with you or ask your mom if she has the papers."

"I'll ask my mom. Grace, thank your dad so much for me. This means the world to me that you guys are helping me."

"Donna, we're family. Stop thanking me for doing this. It's no big deal."

I went to my mom and asked if she had the papers my dad was given. She did, and she faxed them over to Grace's dad's office. I went to bed around midnight, a lot more calm than I was just a few hours ago. We had a pland, and it was going to work, and I was going to stay with my mother. I knew it.

I woke up the next morning to the sound of my phone ringing. Looking at the caller ID, I saw that it was Grace and I immediately picked up.

"Can your dad help us?"

"Yeah. He feels confident that he can help you stay with your mother. When does your dad come to get you?"

"Like at seven tomorrow night. We're getting so close, Grace."

"I know. We'll figure this out."

I hung up and called Spencer. We hadn't spoken since he left and I knew he was worried about me.

"Hey, Donna. How are you?"

"A lot more calm than I was yesterday. Grace's dad is awesome. I think I'll actually get to stay here."

"That's great. Grace was telling me yesterday about everything and I wanted to call you, but I had to do homework."

"Oh, that's fine. I probably wouldn't have picked up. I love you guys, but I had so many things going through my head."

"I understand. But, now the storm's passed."

"Yeah. Hopefully. And my birthday is coming up soon. Twelve years old. Wow."

"When is your birthday?"

"May 12th. I'm excited."

"We should get together doing this summer."

"Duh. Of course we will."

Spencer laughed and I smiled.

"Charlie told me he pulled out the big 'L',"

"Oh yeah. It was really sweet. I love him,"

"Yeah, he told me you said it back to him. Don't you think you're a little bit young to say you love someone?"

"Spencer, I do love Charlie. He's a really inportant person in my life."

"I know, but I don't want you rushing into things. I trust Charlie, but Donna, you're like a little sister to me. and I don't want you getting hurt."

"Oh. Ew. No, I am not a little sister to you. Gross."

Spencer laughed. "Okay, then. But it's true, I don't want you to get your heart broken, no matter how much I trust Charlie."

"Thanks, but I'll be fine. Listen, I have to go, but I'll call you later. Okay?"

"Okay. Bye."

I hung up. Even though Spencer was worried for no reason, it felt nice to know someone was genuinely worried about me. Not really anyone outside of my family had done that for me before and it felt nice. I did some homework, since I had missed a lot of school lately and I then called Charlie.

"Hey, how are you?" He said when he picked up.

"Alright. Getting back to normal, I guess."

"Is your dad still coming tonight?"

"He still thinks he has custody of me, so yeah, I guess so."

"Oh. Did Grace's dad work everything out yet or no?"

"Not yet, but he thinks that he can."

"I hope that he can, Donna. And, if not, my phone line is always on for you."

"Thanks, Charlie. I gotta finish packing, though. I'll call you later. I love you."

"Love you. Talk to you later,"

I loved saying 'I love you' to him and it made me happy to be with someone who got me. I missed him a lot , and I couldn't wait until everything was over with my dad. Ever since I had met the gang, I have been less angry at the world. I think it's because it's hard to be mad at everything when you have people that make you really happy. It's true, what Spencer said about me being like a sister to him, he's like an older brother to me and Grace is like an older sister. I don't know what Charlie would be, because he's like a brother to me, but at the same time, I'm dating him, so it's weird. I'm just less mad at everything that's happened to me because of Charlie, Grace, and Spencer.

My dad arrived at my mom's house around seven thirty and I was nervous. I didn't know if Grace's dad was going to be able to save me from living with my dad.

"Hello, Donna. Are you ready to go?'

"Um, no, but I have no choice." I said, hoping my mother would come in with papers saying I could stay with my mom.

"Well, let's get going."

"Can't I at least say goodbye to Mom?"

"Fine, but make it fast."

Mom came and looked panicked, as I realized there were no papers in her hand. My heart sank, we were so close.

"Bye, Mom." I said, hugging my mother as tight as I could, the first time I had willingly done that to her in over 5 years.

"Bye, Donna. I love you,"

"I love you, too,"

I grabbed my bags and went outside with my dad. Before we got into the car, I looked my dad straight in the eyes and said,

"I hate you and whatever you are trying to do isn't going to change that. You are not my dad and I do not love you. I don't want you to talk to me or touch me or anything. You had your chance and you ruined it."

My dad looked hurt, but I didn't really care. I wanted, more than anything to not be in that car with him, because I truly hated him.

"Donna, I'm trying to patch things up between us, but I need you to cooperate. If you won't, there's no reason for me to have you at my house."

"Exactly. I'm not going to cooperate, so you'd be better off leaving me here with Mom. We can maybe email or somethhing, but I don't want to live with you."

My dad nodded. "Okay. Stay here, then. Your mom's not doing a bad job with you,"

I smiled, feeling like I had made a breakthrough with my dad. I went back inside and told the good news to my mom. She smiled and started to help me unpack. I called Grace, since her dad hadn't faxed over those papers.

"Hey."

"Oh, Donna, I'm so sorry. Are we too late?"

"Kinda. But, I'm staying with my mom."

'How?"

"I told my dad what I thought of him and told him that he wasn't going to fix things between us by doing this."

"Well, that's good. I'm sorry about my dad. He was trying to get the papers faxed over, but the faxer wouldn't work."

"Well, what's important is that I'm staying here."

"Yeah. I'm happy for you."  
"I'm going to go unpack. I'll talk to you later."

"Kay, I have to do homework, anyways. Bye."

'Bye."  
I hung up my phone satisfied that I wa able to stay with my mother. I still missed Charlie a lot though.


	4. Gotta Be Somebody

Chapter 4: Gotta Be Somebody  
Charlie was relieved to hear that everything was figured out for his girlfriend. He was a nervous wreck those few days for her and he knew that he was the one who made her feel calmer about all of it. They had grown a special bond over the past few months. He knew she was very independent, but he worried about her a lot. She had once called him at midnight, after a particularly bad fight with her mother, and he listened while she told him what had happened, and then talked her off the edge until she was calm again. They had talked until three that morning, and he had almost fallen asleep on the phone. Donna, Charlie had learned, was a very sensitive girl. At first glance, she definitely didn't seem that way, but once you got to know her, she was fragile and seemed to break night when they had talked on the phone until three, Charlie saw a side of Donna he never expected to see. She had told him all of her family issues, of which there were many, and she was in tears most of that phone call.  
Her mother and father had divorced when she was five, and she was left in the custody of her mother. Her mother had been an alcoholic at the time, but soon after got treatment. Her father was absent most of the time after the divorce, and her grandmother lived with her while her mother went to rehab. Her mother was in rehab for seven months and her grandmother wasn't very attentive to her. Donna had grown bitter to her mother for leaving her for all those months, and didn't know how to project her feelings to her mother. They eventually made up when Donna was nine, as they had a long talk one night and were able to forgive eachother. Donna still had bitter feelings towards her mother, though she became better at hiding them. She took them out at the people at her school instead, and she lost many friends due to her actions. Her mother signed her up for therapy, which helped Donna work out many of her emotional problems.  
Charlie, even after hearing this, still loved his girlfriend for who she was. It made him love her even more, maybe, because she was comfortable with opening up to him. She told him that she'd never told that story to anyone, so he knew she was special to her and her to him. He was not even thirteen yet, and she wasn't even twelve. What did they know about love? . They were too young to get too serious, but maybe it was fate that they had met. He had never clicked with anyone so quickly and so right before. Donna wasn't someone who fell head over heels for guys, either. She'd confessed to him that before they had met, she hadn't ever had a crush on anyone He didn't know what to make out of their relationship. He loved her, yes, but they weren't even teenagers. He didn't want to break it off with her, either, in fear of breaking her heart. He wanted to escape the inevitable "You're too young for this" from the others looking in at their relationship. They had found each other, perhaps by fate, but they were in love.  
Charlie was contemplating this one Sunday morning. He was up early, as always and hadn't talked to her in a while. He knew it was around ten AM her time, so he called her.  
"Hey, Charlie. I've missed you,"  
"You, too. What are you doing?"  
"Nothing, just reading for school. It's boring, I'd much rather talk to you."  
"Yeah, me too. So, I really miss you."  
"I do, too. You should come out here for my birthday."  
"I would love that."  
Charlie smiled listening to her girlish giggles. He never would've imagined that he could make a girl laugh, especially not a girl like Donna. He loved her so much, every single part of her.  
"What time is it there?"  
"Seven. I couldn't sleep."  
"You're up so early. Weirdo."  
He laughed. "How's it going?"  
"Okay. My mom's been acting weird lately, and I think she may be drinking again. I'm worried about her."  
"I'm sorry, Donna. Is there anything I can do?"  
"Don't leave me, Charlie." Donna's voice said in a tone that was not Donna-like at all. It sounded rapsy and he could tell she was almost crying.  
Charlie knew this feeling all too well. She was thinking that Charlie was too good to be true and that he was going to leave her. He didn't want her feeling this way, because he knew hou much it hurt when it was true.  
"I won't, Donna. You're my girl. I love you,"  
"I love you, too. I really wish you were here. I would never let you go."  
Charlie sighed. He knew she was hurting. He wanted to be there and take her in his arms. She was too young to have to go through all of those family issues alone. Her mom was an alcoholic, her father was absent, and he didn't know where the rest of her family was. She needed him, and he wasn't going to leave her, ever.  
"I have to go," Donna said. "I miss you. I love you."  
"Same here. I'll talk to you later."

* * *

Donna POV:  
I went into the kitchen to find some breakfast. I was honestly worried about my mom. She wasn't awake yet and she was normally up by eight at the latest. I found a box of waffles in the freezer and heated them up in the toaster. I ate them and then I went into my room and watched TV. I was looking forward to seeing Charlie again, and I hoped that he would be able to make it for my birthday. I needed someone that I could believe in and he was that someone.  
My mom stumbled into my room. "Morning, sweetheart. What time is it?"  
I eyed her warily. "Like, ten thirty. Mom, have you been drinking again?"  
Mom scoffed. Why would you think that?"  
"Because you've been acting weird lately and you're sleeping in."  
"That doesn't mean anything. I'm perfectly fine. Don't worry about me, okay?"  
"I guess so. Are you sure you're alright?"  
Mom nodded. "You worry too much," She said.  
That wasn't true at all. I never worried about anything, unless I had a good reason to do so. I nodded again, though, to make my mom believe I was fine with whatever she was doing. I called my friend, Jenna, to see if and she wanted to go the park or something. I was really mad at my mom and I knew she was lying to me. I knew that I'd catch her drinking or drunk and it would be a big fight between us, it was inevitable. I wanted to avoid her for as long as possible, so i went to the park.  
While we were there, we saw some kids from school. They thought that I was mean and weird, so we didn't talk all that much. I really hated them. Anyways, I was telling Jenna about me and Charlie and how he said that he loved me. Some of the idiots from my school overheard and made their way over. They asked me about Charlie, and I decided that I wasn't going to not tell anyone about him, so I told them about him. They laughed and one girl, Anyliese said,  
"Psh, Who'd love you? This dude isn't real. Stop lying."  
I started to feel angry. "Don't talk about him that way. He is real. We met in the airport. Don't you think I'm lying."  
Anyliese scoffed. "Oh, sure. Found true love in an airport, did you? You have no idea how desperate you sound fight now. Weirdo."  
I started to breathe deeply, which was a technique my therapist taught me to control my anger. I did have anger issues, and I had to learn how to control it. I hadn't gotten really mad at anyone in long time, and it just overcame me so quickly, it was a surprise.  
"He is real." I said, gritting my teeth. "His parents are divorced and he is an only child. His birthday is November 16th. That's when he turns thirteen."  
"You really had this all planned out. Fake birthday, fake parents. Wow, you're even more pathetic than I realized."  
Jenna saw my face getting red and tried to pull me away, but I wanted to get things straight.  
"Don't you talk about him. He is real and I don't care whether you believe it or not. Got it?"  
Anyliese nodded, clearly intimidated. I walked off with Jenna, who looked surprised. Not many of my friends had seen me mad, but when they did, it was hard to explain. I hated that part of me. I hoped that that side of me wouldn't come out with Charlie, Grace, or Spencer around. Jenna and I went back to her house. I told her about my mom.  
"Man, that sucks. I'm sorry."  
"Yeah, me too. It's just that it's hard to know who I can trust in this world. I feel lke there's nobody that I can trust to be there constantly for me. I mean, except for Charlie. I can trust him to be there, no matter how far away he is."  
Jenna nodded. "I'm here for you, too."  
I smiled even thought I wasn't sure I believed her. When you've grown up with a life like me, you have trust issues.  
"Thanks." I said anyways.  
We watched a movie and I went back to my house around nine PM. I wasn't ready to get into a massive fight with my mother, even though I knew it was what had to happen. I found her in the kitchen with a bottle of wine in her hand. She obviously hadn't heard me come in, or I would've walked in on her, desperately trying to hide the bottle.  
"I thought you said you were fine." I said icily.  
My mother looked at me. 'What are you doing home so soon?"  
"Um, this is my house. I'm sorry, Did you want me to stay out all night so you can drink yourself to sleep?"  
My mother narrowed her eyes at me. "Don't you talk to me like that."  
"It's true, isn't it?! That's what you were going to do if I hadn't come home. You promised me you were fine. How do you think it felt to know you were lying to me?!"  
"It isn't your place, Donna. I am the mother and if I thought I was in trouble I would talk to someone. But I'm fine."  
"No you're not, Mom. I need you around and I don't want to be living with a drunk. Get yourself together."  
I walked out of the room and ran upstairs. I really hated my mother sometimes, but I did need her to provide for me. It was ridiculous. Grace called me, which I was thankful for.  
"Hey." I said.  
"Hey, how are you?"  
"Truthfully?"  
"Yeah. Why, what's wrong?"  
"My mom is drinking again. She lied to me this morning, said she was fine. It makes me so mad."  
"I'm sorry. But I have big news."  
"What?"  
"I'm going to be visiting over there next week."  
"Really?! Why? That's great!"  
"Well, I'm a junoir in high school, so I'm going to tour collages over there. So I can be close to you."  
"Holy crap, Grace do you know what I just realized?"  
"What?"  
"If you move out here, we can live together. You can get an apartment and I can live with you."  
"Maybe. Anyways, I just wanted to tell you that. I gotta go. Bye."  
"Bye."  
I hung up and I went downstairs and saw my mother passed out on the couch. I didn't know why, but at the sight of that, my ears began to brim with tears. I went back upstairs and dialed Charlie.  
"Donna? Are you okay?"  
"No," I said, the tears spilling out and onto my cheeks.  
"What happened? Do you want to talk?"  
"I was right, Charlie. She's drinking again. She freaking lied to me and then I just saw her passed out on the couch."  
"Are you mad at her?"  
"Yes, but I'm also worried about her. She doesn't seem like my mother. I need her, though, Charlie. What should I do?"  
"She needs to go to rehab, Donna."  
"No! She can't because then I'll be forced to stay with my dad."  
'Donna, this is what your mom needs. We'll figure out where you'll go later. Your mom is in trouble."  
"I know but it's just hard to accept."  
"Donna, you know that I'm always here for you. My dad said you're more than welcome to stay here. You have a family. You always have somewhere to go, alright?"  
"Okay. So what do I do to get her to rehab? I'm alone here right now."  
"Right now just go to sleep, alright? You need to relax. I'll call you in the morning. I love you."  
"I love you, too."  
I hung up my and decided to take a long shower. It was what I always did when I was stressed. I got ready for bed and tried to fall asleep I got a text from Charlie.  
_Charlie: love you. I miss you. We'll get through this together. _  
_Me: I hope so. Ugh. I hate this._  
_Charlie: Go to sleep, Donna. I'm worried about you._  
_Me: Don't be. It's not like this hasn't happened before._  
_Charlie: Well, I am, so go to bed._  
I smiled and turned off my phone, in hopes of falling asleep.

* * *

I woke up in the morning to a banging on the front door. My mother, not surprisingly, hadn't moved from her spot on the couch. I opened the door and there stood Grace. She looked tired, but relieved.  
"Hey," She said.  
I hugged her tightly and brought her inside. "What are you doing here? Is everything okay?"  
"You tell me. Charlie called me last night at midnight my time and told me that he was rely worried about you. I knew that I was already worried, but that sent me over the edge with worry. I grabbed my credit card and booked the next flight out here."  
I smiled. "Grace, you have no idea how much this means to me. Just come upstairs."  
I led Grace to my room. She listened to me vent for about an hour and then looked me in the eye.  
"Donna, this sounds so awful. I'm going to help you get both you and your mother through this hard time. My mom said that she'll fly out here so I can be here with you. My school knows I have a family emergency and is giving me slack on all my work."  
I looked at Grace and realized how much of a sister she really was to me.  
"Thank you." I said as I hugged her.  
"No problem. Should I call my mom and tell her to come here?"  
I nodded.  
Grace grabbed her cell phone and I texted Charlie.  
_Me: Grace is here. Thank you. I really did need someone here. _  
_Charlie: I'm glad she could make it. I wanted to come, but my dad wouldn't let me. R u ok?_  
_Me: I will be soon. _  
_Charlie: Ok. Well I love you. Txt me later. _  
_Me: Love u. Ok._  
I slid my phone into my pocket as Grace came back in.  
"My mom's coming. Do you want me to make breakfast? You look like you haven't been eating lately."  
"Sure." I said, realizing the last real meal I had was two days ago and I was actually pretty hungry.  
We went into my kitchen and Grace started making an omelette for us. I watched her, amazed.  
"What?" She asked.  
"Oh, nothing. It's just that my mom never makes me breakfast."  
Grace smiled. "Well, I can teach you to make an omelette, if you want,"  
"Sure."  
I got up from my spot at the table and Grace taught me how to make an omelette. I heard some sounds from the living room and I saw my mother stirring.  
"Good morning," She said as she saw me. She walked into the kitchen and saw Grace.  
"What is she doing here?" My mom asked, turning to me. It was a tone that I had never heard from her.  
"She came here to help. I think you need to go to rehab."  
My mother put in a pained smile and turned towards Grace.  
"Can I talk to Donna privately?"  
Grace glanced at me briefly before nodding. She left the kitchen and my mother turned to me.  
"Donna. I told you that I was fine. I don't need your friends here to help me. I don't want help and I don't appreciate it."  
"Mom, I know you don't think you need help, and I didn't ask them to come. That's the great thing. Grace came here because she knew we were in trouble. I want you to get better and I want you to be around for me."  
"Dammit, Donna. I don't need you to help me. I am a grown woman and I can take care of myself."  
"You passed out of the couch with a bottle of wine in your hand. Don't you think that just might worry me?!"  
"You don't need to be worried, Donna. That's the thing! I don't want anyone to see me like this."  
"Why? According to you, you're perfectly fine. I should invite all your friends over for a big party the next time you pass out on the couch."  
My mother glared at me. "Listen. I am the mother in this situation and I don't need you to tell me how to live my life."  
"Whatever, mom. Just don't send Grace home. I need someone here that I can trust." I left the kitchen and met Grace in the living room.  
"Let's get out of here." I said.  
Grace and I left the house and went to iHop, since Grace didn't get a chance to finish making her omelette.  
"I heard your mom yelling. It sounds like she doesn't want me here."  
"I don't care. I want you here and I need you here."  
Grace looked at me pointedly. "Donna, I want to be here for you. You know that I do. But, honestly, I don't know if it's the best thing right now. "  
"My moms being a brat. I don't care whether she likes you being here or not."  
"Donna, do you really think that this is what your mom needs?"  
I shook my head. "But I hate things being so tense between us. I need you here, Grace. It's going to be hell on earth if you're not here. Our fights can get really bad."  
Grace nodded. "I'll stay if you really feel like you can't get on without me. I just want what's best for both you and your mom. I'm not trying to be mean or anything."  
"I know. I mean, you probably know what's better. If you think it's best to leave, then leave."  
Grace looked at me. "I want to support you, Donna. I think that I'm just going to stay and maybe my mom can help when she comes. You know, talk some sense into your mom."  
I nodded. "That makes sense. Do you know when she's going to get in?"  
"No, but she's gonna call when she does."  
"Okay. Lets stay out. I don't want to have to face my mom anymore than I have to today."  
Grace nodded. "Where do you wanna go?"  
"I don't know, but somewhere."  
Grace and I finished our breakfast. After we payed for our breakfast, we went to the mall. I don't really like going to the mall, but I couldn't really think of anything better to do. She helped me pick out some new clothes and I realized I had a sense of style.

* * *

Grace's mom called Grace around noon and said that she would be arriving around three. Grace and I had finished our shopping, so we then decided to catch a movie. Mom texted me before we got to the theater.  
_Mom: I love you, sweetie. I'm sorry for being mad._  
_Me: Whatever, mom. _  
_Mom: Donna, I know I overreacted and I feel bad. Can u forgive me?_  
_Me: idk. I'm seeing a movie w/ Grace. _  
_Mom: OK. Well have fun. We'll talk later_  
I slipped my phone into my pocket. Grace and I bought our tickets and went into the theater.

* * *

Once the movie was over, Grace called a cab and we went to the airport. Her mom's flight was just landing as we got there. Grace hugged her mother when she saw her and then her mother hugged me.  
"It's so nice to meet you. Grace has told me so much about you."  
"It's nice to meet you, too. Thank you for coming all the way out here."  
"No problem, dear. I'm glad we could help."  
We all went back to the cab and drove back to my house. My mom was in the kitchen, sobering up.  
"Hi, girls. How was the movie?" She asked as Grace and I walked in.  
"It was good." I said.  
Graces mom walked in and my mom went from happy (ish) to angry in a split second.  
"Who is this?" She demanded.  
"This Grace's mom. She's here to help you."  
My mom became furious. "Donna, what did I tell you?"  
"Listen, mom, I don't care what you think about this situation. I think you're in trouble and I want you to get help. I'm not going to fight about this anymore."  
"Neither am I. I do not need help and I do not need your friends help."  
Graces mom stepped up. "Can I talk to you about this situation?"  
My mom narrowed her eyes. "Fine."  
Grace and I went upstairs.  
"Well, this is gonna be fun." Grace said once we got up to my room.  
I nodded. "Let the games begin."


End file.
